Remembering
by majorfangirl
Summary: Hinata was running. She couldn't remember why; all she knew was she had to keep running until she collapsed. When Kiba finds her, he takes her in and she tries to remember what she had forgotten. KibaHina NaruIno ShikaTema ShinoSaku KankuTen, othersHina
1. Prologue

**A/N: I don't know how this idea hit me, but when it did, I knew I couldn't ignore it. This might not be updated very frequently or it could slow down Shino's the Man. I'm not sure which one.**

All she could remember was running. She didn't know what she was running from, but she ran. She ran until she collapsed near a river. And that was when he found her.

One thing was certain: Hinata Hyuuga would never be the same

~X~

She had always been the shy and quiet type. Her father had always criticized her and favored her sister Hanabi. Her older cousin Neji was a bully to her. Never had she known a life without such pain and her family was at the center of it.

Hinata was a fourteen year old girl with white eyes and purple-blue hair. If it weren't for her quietness, people would have noticed how very pretty she was, but they never did.

And somehow, the day where she was running came. Her mind immediately blocked out what she was running from; all she knew was she had to keep going.

Her feet pounded on the ground as she gasped for breath. She wasn't used to running this hard and for this long. She didn't know how long she had been running. All she knew was she was in the forest that was behind her house. She had never ventured this far, but soon an ending was in sight.

She started to feel dizzy but she wouldn't slow down. Her mind started to feel cloudy and her legs gave way. She hit the ground with a thud and soon her mind went blank.

No one knew where Hinata Hyuuga had disappeared to.

~X~

Kiba was also fourteen years old. He had scruffy brown hair and a faithful pet dog named Akamaru. This dog was mostly white, but had brown ears. Akamaru was Kiba's best friend, along with some people in the small town that he lived in.

This small town was at the edge of a forest. On the other side of said forest, a big city could be found. Kiba enjoyed running with Akamaru at the edge of the forest but never dared to venture in.

That is, until the day he noticed something laying on the ground. And it looked like a body. He couldn't resist the urge to see if someone had died in the forest he had grown up by.

Once he reached it, he saw it was a girl who was very pale and cold. Before he could pronounce her dead, he took her pulse and saw that her heart was still beating.

He did the only thing he could think to do: Take her home and see what his mom had to say.

This would end up changing both of their lives forever.

**A/N: The setting is a place in my mind. It's about the same time as the Naruto series, but there are no ninjas or Konoha. Instead, there is the town and the city I mentioned.**


	2. The Unconcious Girl

**A/N: Well, here's the first chapter! Don't be expecting it too frequently because I have a lot going on. I will work on it when I get the chance though.**

Chapter 1

Kiba eyes surveyed every inch of the body. He had just taken her pulse and she still had a heart beat. His only option was to take her to his mother and see what she had to say on the subject.

Akamaru sniffed her as he wrapped his arms around the frail body and lifted it off the ground. She wasn't very heavy at all and he soon reached his house.

"Home already?" inquired his older sister Hana Inuzuka. Then she noticed the body he was carrying and her eyes widened. "Whose that?"

"Found her lying at the edge of the forest, near a river," Kiba replied. "She's still got a pulse so I think I should talk to mom."

"She's not home," his sister said. "How about you lay her on the bed in the guest room? I'll help you look after her until mom gets home."

He nodded and they both went inside, Akamaru following. Kiba gently laid the girl down on the bed.

"She's pretty," Hana noted. "She looks about your age, too. How come we don't know her?"

In a small town like theirs, it wasn't uncommon to know almost everyone. And they had never seen this girl before in their lives. There were actually very few girls in the town that were near Kiba's age, which made the competition for a girl that much more complicated. There was only Sakura Haruno and Ino Yamanaka in his grade, Tenten a year older, and two years older was Temari.

The only boys at the school were Naruto Uzumaki, Shino Aburame, Shikamaru Nara, Chouji Akimichi, and Gaara in Kiba's grade, and Kankuro was a year older. There was currently no class of seniors at Hikari School.

Hikari was the name of their town and it was named after the founder, a woman named Hikari Midorikawa. There was only one school and one building for that school. The school's library also served as the public library and there was no playground for the elementary students. Instead, they would walk across the street to the park.

There were only a few doctors, and one of them was also the mayor. Everyone else either owned or worked at a shop, taught at the school, or was on the very small police force.

A few high school teachers also taught middle school or half-day kindergarten.

Teachers:

Kindergarten (half-day only): Iruka Umino

First grade: Ebisu

Second grade: Genma

Third grade: Hayate Gekko

Fourth grade: Ibiki Morino

Fifth grade: Shibi Aburame

Sixth grade: Baki

Middle school math: Kakashi Hatake

Middle school art: Anko Mitarashi

Middle school science: Jiraiya

Middle school history: Kotestu

Middle school P.E.: Maito Gai

Middle school English: Kurenai Yuhi

High school math: Kakashi Hatake

High school art: Anko Mitarashi

High school science: Iruka Umino

High school history: Izumo

High school P.E.: Maito Gai

High school English: Kurenai Yuhi

Kiba's mother, Tsume Inuzuka, was on the small police force, along with Chouza Akimichi, Minato Namikaze, and Kushina Uzumaki. The was only one shop and it was the grocery store. It was owned by Shikaku and Yoshino Nara. Their employees were Inoichi Yamanaka, Aoba Yamashiro, and Yamato. The Yamanakas also sold flowers in this store and Ino would often help.

The mayor and head of the small hospital was Tsunade, and her fellow doctors were Shizune, Kanpou, and Kaori.

All in all, the town was pretty small. The only people Kiba didn't know well were the younger students. Them, and this girl that had come out of nowhere.

"So where do you think she came from?" asked Hana.

"No idea."

The two sat in silence as they walked the girl breathe softly. A half hour passed and they heard the door open. Tsume's voice called out, "I'm home!"

Kiba and Hana flew out of the room and in a rushed voice, Kiba told his mother everything that had happened.

"Where is she?" Tsume asked. The two siblings led her to the guest room where the girl was still laying.

"I think we should take her to Tsunade," Tsume said. "You did the right thing, Kiba. The poor child could have died if you had left her out there. Imagine if she had fallen in the river! She could have drowned by now."

The Inuzukas and Akamaru quickly walked to the hospital/mayor's office. As Kiba flung the door open, Tsunade looked up.

"Tsume, Kiba, Hana, what brings you all here in such a hurry?" she asked.

Kiba launched into the story again and Tsunade stared at the girl in his arms. She was starting to stir."She's moving," Tsunade said. They all watched her with anticipation but she soon stopped moving. "I guess we need to get her to a room," Tsunade said.

The group walked to one of the two rooms in the hospital and laid the girl's body on a bed. Kiba stared at her pale face as her mouth opened and closed in soft snores.

"I think the only thing we can do is make sure she's alright and wait for her to wake up," said Tsunade. "I'll get Kaori to exam her. You can come back in when she's done."

Kiba and his family sat in the waiting room for a long time until Hana said she was hungry. Tsume suggested that Kiba stay and she and Hana go home and eat dinner. She would bring him dinner after they ate.

Kiba nodded and leaned back in his chair. Akamaru jumped up into his lap and soon fell asleep. He waited and waited until Kaori walked out of the girl's hospital room.

"You can go in now," she said. "She still hasn't woken up, but let us know if she does."

Kiba nodded, picked Akamaru off his lap, and walked into her room. She was in a hospital gown now and her clothes lay on the table next to her bed. She looked angelic laying there and he sat down, staring at her pretty face.

That was when it happened. She started to move. A light moan escaped her lips and her eyes opened slightly. Then they flew open and she sprung up, crying out, "Wh-where am I?"

**A/N: Well, there ya go! The first chapter. And, yes, I had to leave it off like that. I'm so evil!**


	3. Her Name is Hinata

**A/N: I've actually written more for this than I thought. Don't worry! I'm still working my butt off on Shino's the Man. I haven't written very many one shots though.**

Chapter Two

The girl looked around and her eyes fell on Kiba. "Where am I?" she asked, fear in her eyes.

"It's alright," Kiba said, trying to sound comforting. "I found you." He, once again, told the story of how he found her.

"Wh-who are you? And why am I here? Where…where is here?"

"My name is Kiba Inuzuka," he replied. "Like I said, I found you, so we took you to the hospital. You are in Hikari Hospital, in the town of Hikari."

"Hikari…isn't that…isn't that a town near Konoha?" she asked.

"Yup. I found you in the forest that separates Konoha and Hikari. Now, who are you?"

"My name is…Hinata Hyuuga. I-I live in Konoha," she said.

"We should probably get you home," Kiba said. "But not until you tell me what you were doing in the forest."

Her eyes flew open and she shouted, "Home? No!" She then blushed and said softly, "I'm sorry. I was in the forest because…I was…running from something…but…what? I…I can't remember…"

He cocked his head. "Running? And why are you so afraid of going home?"

Hinata looked down and said, "I shouldn't tell you but…I owe you…my dad likes my little sister more than me and…my older cousin…he hits me and he's not very nice."

"I don't know what we're supposed to do about that, but my mom's coming soon and we can ask her. Maybe she can help us out and even keep you away from this evil cousin," said Kiba.

"N-Neji's not _evil_," she said quickly.

"So his name's Neji, huh?" He took this opportunity to look at her a little more. She had white eyes and he noticed a bruise on her cheek. Even with this bruise, he couldn't deny that she was a really pretty girl. He instantly blushed.

He wished Tsume and Hana would hurry up and get there so he wouldn't have to spend so much time alone with this girl.

~X~

When Tsume did show up, it was without Hana who had offered to help the Naras with something at the store.

"Hello," Tsume said when she met Hinata, "my name is Tsume. I'm Kiba's mom."

They went through the introduction and Kiba and Hinata explained her family situation to a thoughtful Tsume and then to Tsunade.

"Hmm," Tsunade said, tapping her chin. "This is all _very_ interesting. I'm not really sure what we're supposed to do about Hinata. But until I can come up with something, I'm thinking she stays with you, Tsume."

"We'd be more than happy to let you stay with us," Tsume said, smiling at Hinata.

"Th-thank you…" Hinata said softly.

~X~

Hinata stayed in the guest room and the next morning, Tsunade came to tell them all what she had thought up.

"Seeing as we could be hurting her by send her back, I think she should stay here for a while, or at least until she's completely well and can remember what she was running from," Tsunade said. "What do you think, Hinata?"

"I…I really want to stay!" the white eyed girl said.

"Then that settles that," said Tsunade. "I'll enroll you in the school so you can start on Monday. You seem kind of hurt, but I don't think it's so serious that you can't still get an education."

"Yes, thank you," Hinata said.

~X~

The next morning, Hana told Kiba that Hinata needed to make some friends. That was how Kiba ended up taking Hinata around to meet the other people in town. The first place he thought of was the Nara's store where Ino and Shikamaru were usually found.

"Oh, _please_ tell me you're going to buy some flowers," Ino said. "It's been so _boring_." Then she noticed Hinata. "Huh? Whose this?"

"Her name's Hinata. If you can get all of our friends in here, I'll explain," Kiba replied.

"Can do!" Ino said. "I'll tell Shikamaru and Chouji-he's over here now- and I'll call Sakura and tell her to call Naruto and Tenten."

"Alright! Come on, Hinata," he said and pulled the girl along. He could get Temari and her brothers just by telling one and he could also needed to get Shino.

He went straight to Shino's house and picked up the phone without permission. By now, Shino was used to his best friend doing these kinds of things.

"Hello?"

"Temari? It's Kiba. You, Kankuro, and Gaara need to meet in the flower shop in the store."

"Kiba," Shino said, "You want to tell me what's going on? And why this strange girl is in my house?"

"Not time," Kiba replied. "Let's just got to the store!" And he drug Hinata and Shino all the way there.

~X~

Soon they were all together. All focus was on Kiba and this girl that none of them had ever seen before in their lives.

"This," Kiba said, "is Hinata." He told her story, starting with her family, leasing up to the day before in the hospital.

"Hello," Hinata said, looking down. Everyone welcomed her. To them, this was the most exciting thing that had ever happened in Hikari.

~X~

That night, Hinata couldn't sleep. The next day she would be going to a school she knew nothing about with people she had just met. She didn't know anyone except Kiba and Hana, and Hana didn't even still go to Hikari school. She had failed her college tests and had decided to help out at home until she could get a job at the Nara's store.

He felt kind of guilty, not going back home and all, but she knew she had to have been running from danger and her family would never _miss_ her. Hiashi would rather have only Hanabi and completely forget about her. Neji might miss having someone to pick on but he'd get over it. Hinata Hyuuga would rather stay in Hikari with Kiba forever.

Kiba…he was one of the nicest people she had ever met. Not that she had known anyone outside of her family besides the Uchihas, a family that was about as high in society at the Hyuugas. Sasuke had been Neji's best friend, automatically making him an enemy to Hinata.

She turned over and stared out the window. How did she get here? _Why_ was she here? It was paining her to try to remember and she coughed lightly. She tried hard, but nothing came to her. When she concentrated too hard, she got a headache.

It wasn't as if she had no memory of her life. She just didn't know _anything_ about that day and how she had ended up passed out in the forest that separated Hikari and Konoha.

~X~

After an almost sleepless night for both, Hinata and Kiba got up to go to school. Tsume had gotten all of Hinata's school supplies and put it in a backpack.

Everyone knew about this girl and everyone had met her. At least, all of the high school had, so she wouldn't hear whispers of, "Whose _that_?" when she first entered Hikari school's high school wing.

Hinata had a lot of questions, but she didn't ask a single one. It would be better just to let Kiba show her around and follow him until she had her own friends and could follow _them_ around instead. Not that she didn't like Kiba. He was one of the nicest people in the whole world, she had decided. She felt kind of strange thinking about him this way, but didn't let it bother her.

She never could have guessed what was going to happen between her and Kiba Inuzuka.

**A/N: I'm already having issues writing this, but I know how I'm going to end it, so I'm only having trouble with the events that lead up to the ending.**


	4. Lunchtime Coversation

**A/N: Warning: May contain NaruHina, GaaIno, GaaHina, and ItaHina. Sorry it took my so long to update. I had writer's block and then my computer was gone. Now it's back though!**

Chapter 3

"Hey, Hinata, can you meet me in about few minutes in front of the library? It's just around the corner three times," Kiba said.

"O-oh, sure," Hinata agreed, which was a pretty big mistake on her part because she had only gone around one corner when she face a huge problem.

There were three other hallways, which meant three more corners. And she didn't know which one to go around. She decided the one nearest her, where she found even _more_ corners.

She felt panic rising. How was she going to get to Kiba? How was she going to get to class on time? Hinata Hyuuga was lost and had no idea how to find her way _out_ of here.

She started to run in panic. Where was that library? She ran down another hallway and came to some stairs. She had remembered that there was one other floor where the office and elementary students were. She opened the door and flew up the stairs, but the door at the other end was locked.

She ran back down the stairs, but when she opened the door, everything was dark. Where _was_ she? She could feel tears welling up in her eyes. She was never going to get out of here. Kiba was probably waiting for her already and she wouldn't show up.

~X~

Kiba Inuzuka was panicking.

"Oh, god, where _is_ Hinata?" he asked, pacing back and forth in front of the library.

"Calm down, Kiba," said Shino. "She's in the building, so she can't be far."

"Oh, shut up," Kiba said, glaring. "You'd be freaking out if it were Sakura that went missing!"

Shino didn't say anything in response and Kiba went back to pacing and worrying about Hinata.

~X~

Hinata walked back up the stairs and noticed a door she had missed. Probably led back to where she was. She opened it and was relieved to see that she was right.

Unfortunately, her problem _still_ wasn't solved. She was still lost. She finally gave into tears and broke down crying when a voice from behind her asked, "Hinata? Are you okay?"

It was Temari and she looked concerned.

"I-I'm fine," Hinata said. "I just…I got l-lost. And K-Kiba's waiting for me and I kept him waiting all this time."

"You seem more concerned with finding Kiba," Temari said. "Maybe you like him more than you're letting on."

Hinata turned red and shook her head. "N-no! That's not…that's not why! He's just…he's been so nice to me and…I didn't want to upset him! Th-that's it…"

Temari didn't look convinced. "Uh huh," she said. "But anyway. Where were you supposed to go?"

"The library," Hinata replied and Temari led her there.

"There you are," Kiba said. "I thought something had happened to you!"

"I'm…sorry…"

"No, you don't need to be! I'm just glad that you're okay! I won't leave your side again until you figure out your way around the school!"

Kiba kept true to his word and stuck to her side like Akamaru did to him at home.

At lunch, the group from the day before all sat at one table. Shino was next to Kiba, then Hinata, Naruto, Ino, Chouji, Shikamaru, Temari, Gaara, Kankuro, and then Tenten on Shino's other side.

Hinata blushed at Naruto's closeness to her and wondered why she was feeling this way. He would continually say something and look at Ino, as if waiting for her approval. She hardly even acknowledged him, but instead kept gazing at Gaara who had his eyes locked on Hinata. She felt a chill whenever she felt her green eyes on him.

"Hey, Hinata, what else can you tell us about your life before you came here to Hikari?" asked Sakura. Tenten and Kankuro, who were deep in conversation, turned their attention to the Hyuuga.

"W-well…there was Sasuke, Neji's best friend. He was…he was really not very nice to me at all…and sometimes…he and Neji would both gang up on me," Hinata said, looking upset about her childhood. There was something in Gaara's cold gaze, but she couldn't tell what is was. Maybe sympathy? She couldn't tell.

"Wow," Ino said quietly. "I'm glad you got away from there. If you had stayed…who knows. Maybe he and this friend of his would have killed you and dumped you in a dumpster."

Naruto laughed. "Ino, what world are you living in?"

'The real world."

"Oh. Well…I was just kidding."

"Sure you were."

_Maybe he wants to be better than Ino_, thought Hinata. There was another thought, but why bring that into this? If she thought things like that, she would have to think something else. And that wasn't something she was going to think about.

"Anything else?" Sakura asked. "Did you have any best friends? Any boyfriends?"

Hinata turned red. "N-no, never! A-and no friends….either…"

"Well, you have friends now!" Tenten said. "We're not afraid of your cousin, we don't even know him!"

"And there's no way he could ever find you here," Ino added. "He doesn't know where you are."

"Y…yeah, I guess…I guess your right," Hinata said.

"So, no boyfriends?" Sakura asked.

"That must have sucked," said Temari and the other two girls nodded. Hinata sunk lower in her seat.

"W…well…"

"What? What?" the four girls all asked in unison.

"N…nothing," she said, looking away.

"Come on, Hinata, if you can't tell us, who can you tell?" Temari asked. "We're your friends, we won't tell anyone."

"Well…Sasuke…he had an older brother…I-itachi and…he was always nice to me and…well…there was a time…when I thought we were…I-in love and…when he…tried to kiss me…Neji told my father that Itachi had…s-sexually harassed me and…and Itachi was sent to boarding school," said Hinata.

"That's really sad," Tenten said. "I feel bad for you. Do you think you two will ever see each other again? Because fate works that way. It's too bad he never kissed you."

"It would have been you first kiss and everything," Ino said.

"A-actually…that's the part I was…avoiding. After I was upset about not getting my…f-first kiss…Neji gave it to me…"

**A/N: Mwa ha ha ha ha ha! Cliffhanger!**


	5. New Feelings

**A/N: I wrote this in like, two days, because I had half days from finals and all that. Unfortunately, I was so lazy about typing it, that it's a month after I wrote it and I'm just now done.**

"_WHAAAAAAAAAAAAT_?"

Hinata sunk down in her chair. She hadn't bee lying when she said that.

"Well, it sounds an awful lot like you enjoyed it," said Kiba rather bitterly, as if Neji had done something to _him_.

"Wh-what?" Tears formed in Hinata's eyes. "B-but I didn't. It…it was creepy and I didn't know what he was going to do to me. I-I would never…ever enjoy something like that."

"Oh, I'm sorry, Hinata, I just…I don't know what came over me," he said, genuinely apologetic.

"Geez, Kiba, really messed that one up, huh?" asked Naruto.

Both Ino and Sakura whapped him at the same time, saying, "Don't be so insensitive, Naruto!"

"It…it's alright," the white eyed girl said quietly.

"No, Hinata, none of this is okay," Temari said. "Why did no one ever try and stop Neji from being so awful to you? It sounds like he wasn't just a bully to you, he was obsessed with you. He never let any other boy have you, you had no friends, he was always bothering you. He was a real creep."

"No, it really isn't okay," Gaara agreed and Hinata realized that that was the first time she had ever heard Temari's brother speak.

"Anyway," Sakura said, "we really should change the subject. It's Hinata's first day away from all of that. I'm sure she doesn't want to talk about what she left behind."

Funny how she didn't seem to realize that she was the one who brought up the subject.

~X~

It was after school. Hinata was in her room and Shino was over, trying to explain to Kiba about their homework.

"Kiba, there's something that's been bugging me all day," Shino said. (A/N Get it?)

"What?"

"You said I'd be acting the same if it was Sakura. You seem to think that I like her, so does that mean that you like Hinata?"

"What? I never said that! You just care a lot about Sakura and I care about Hinata! Well, I'm pretty sure you _do_ like Sakura, but that's not the point! The point is is that I don't feel that way about Hinata!"

Hana, who had heard Kiba's rant, stepped in. "So, you like our house guest?"

"No! And besides, she already had a fling with that Itachi _and_ her evil cousin. What chance would I have ?" The question hung in the air.

"I'm not even going to ask about any of that, but I do know that you have plenty of a chance with her," said Hana. "I know this sounds like something a mother would say, but I know that you're a great guy. Plus, Hinata seems pretty fond of you.

"It doesn't make any difference because I don't like her that way," was all Kiba said.

~X~

Hinata's thoughts kept wandering to Naruto. Was she falling for this boy? That was the one thought she didn't want to face at lunch. She had only been in love once, and she remembered how well _that_ had gone.

Plus, how would Itachi feel if he knew that she was considering being with another boy? Would he be glad that she had found someone else or feel like she was betraying him? What if he had been planning on being with her again some day? Why did his name bring back the same headache she got when she tried to remember?

Which, of course, got her trying to remember again. Why had she been running, why? She concentrated as hard as she could, but nothing came to her memory. The only thing she could see in her mind was darkness and…Neji? He had a mean look on his face, but that's all she could remember. So running had something to do with him.

She turned her attention back to the homework that she had. Back in Konoha, she went to a really advanced private school, so this was easy for her. She was done with her work in no time and was soon looking around the room she would be in for a while.

When she was in the library at school, she picked up an interesting looking book. Now she began to read it.

A while ago, when she read romance, she would pretend the two lovers were her and Itachi. Now she didn't know who to imagine into the main male part. Itachi or Naruto or…Kiba? Now why would she think of him?

She shook her head and got back to reading Stories of Maidens, book 1: Haruka's Romance Unfolds. She had heard good things about the series and the author (A/N: THE AUTHOR IS ME! ALL OF IT WAS MY ORIGINAL IDEA, MINE, MINE, MINE!). The first three books told a romance of a girl named Haruka, then there were four about someone named Mitsumi. Currently there was one volume out for the true story of the author's romance. There was even a rumor going around that Haruka was the author's little sister and Mitsumi was her best friend.

"_I know what's going on," Hikari said. "I already know that you're in love with him!"_

"_I have no idea what you're talking about," said Haruka, turning away quickly._

"_Oh, no, I think you do. And you need to listen. People will tell you to 'be safe', but you really shouldn't. It totally ruins the entire experience."_

"_Ew, shut up!" the younger girl shrieked. "Even if I was in love with him, we'd never do _anything _like that!"_

"_Now, here's what you have to say to him," Hikari said, ignoring her sisters screams of protest._

Hinata laughed to herself and closed the book. Already, she was enjoying Hikari's antics and all the involvement she had in her sister's love life, despite Haruka's displeasure at having her elder sister around.

Hikari…the name of the author, the name of a character, and the name of the town she was in. (A/N: And the author of this story!) She had never thought that one name would old so much significance in her life. A name that would one day mean nothing to her.

~X~

Ino smiled at her reflection in the mirror early the next morning. Maybe today Gaara would realize how great she was for him. It was about time that he did, considering she had always been there but he seemed to not notice how they were meant to be.

She and Sakura both had a thing for the strong, silent types, considering Sakura's crush on Shino. This new Hinata…what was she interested in? She seemed awfully interested in Naruto but there was also a possibility of her and Kiba.

Still, it seemed she was still hung up on Itachi, her old boyfriend. All of _that_ was rather interesting too. Her cousin seemed to exist to ruin her life and possibly keep her to all himself. Temari might have been on to something with that obsession theory.

It wasn't a long walk to school, in fact, not much of a walk at all. It also didn't take much to find Hinata, who was with Kiba (obviously) and Shino. Ino decided right then and there to make an effort to befriend Hinata so she wouldn't have to spend all her time with those boys.

"Hey, Hinata," she said, walking over to the timid girl.

"H-hello, Ino," Hinata said, smiling.

"Have you seen Sakura around?" Ino asked.

"Nope, we haven't," Kiba said.

"Actually," Shino intoned, "I saw her this morning. She went to the library to return a book she borrowed last week."

"Of course _you_ know exactly where Sakura is and why." his best friend said. Shino didn't say anything in response, as per usual.

"Well, I'm going to go get her," Ino said finally. "Do, you want to come with me, Hinata?" She eyed the white eyed girl expectantly.

"O-okay," she said and followed Ino along.

"So, Shino seems to, as Kiba put it, 'know where Sakura is and why.' I think he likes her, which is just as well, because she likes him." The blonde chattered away about Sakura and Shino while Hinata listened. It was nice to have somebody who just listened, never argued.

"I like you, Hinata. It's nice to have you around."

"Th-thank you."

~X~

After her second day of school, Hinata was starting to get used to Hikari. It was so much calmer than the big city she had been used to. She liked knowing the people her age and having a lot of friends.

It was that night, as she was reading about the exploits of Haruka and Hikari, that she got a phone call. She had never had anyone call for her, so she was sure that the call was for Tsume, Kiba, or Hana.

"Hey, Hinata!" Tsume called. "Temari's on the phone for you! There's an extension in your room, next to your desk!"

"H-hello?" Hinata said and Tsume hung up.

"Hey, Hinata. It's me. Look, there's something I seriously need to talk to you about," said Temari.

"What is it?"

"Well, it's about Gaara. See, you showed up. And, well, he's been…well, not much different except…he's really interested in you. Says he feels bad for you, with all the crap you had to go through."

"And? Wh-what's wrong with that?"

"Nothing. It's just that he seems _too_ interested in you is all," she said. "Now, don't be shocked by what I'm about to say. Brace yourself, Hinata." Temari took a breath. "I think the reason Gaara is so interested in you is because he's in love with you."

**A/N: Another cliffhanger! I just love them so much. I really don't like Hinata very much anymore, but I will finish this story. However, I'm thinking around 10 chapters and an epilogue. Anyway, next time: Hinata begins to wonder if Temari says is true and watches Gaara more carefully, Kiba begins to question his feelings for Hinata, Kankuro and Tenten spring a surprise on everyone, and a Kurenai assigns everyone a project. YOU WON'T SEE THIS CHAPTER ANY TIME SOON IF YOU DON'T REVIEW! But if you do, I'll be updated very, very soon. Also, vote in the poll on my profile!  
**


	6. Revelations and a Project

**A/N: Now I'm about halfway through with this story. I intend to carry on through the end! (Plus, I already wrote the epilogue, and I think it's really good, so I have to let you all see it, so I must finish the rest of the story first!)**

"Wh-what?"

"That's the only reason I could think of," Temari said. "And, let's face it, it's logical. You're pretty and new, I'm surprised that no one's outright asked you to marry them. You could have anyone here. Though, I advise that you stay away from Shikamaru. He's mine."

"Y-yes, I understand, but…but…G-Gaara can't b-be in love with me…th-that's not possible," Hinata said.

"I can't think of any other explanation," the blonde said. "Now, I've got to get off the phone. But, you didn't hear this from me."

Temari hung up without waiting for Hinata to say goodbye, leaving her alone to wonder about this. No one had ever loved her before, besides Itachi, and she had never considered herself much of a heart throb anyway, so what would anyone see in her?

It wasn't long before she was laying in bed and still pondering this. Surely Temari was wrong. Because if she was right, Hinata would feel guilty having a crush on Naruto.

~X~

The next morning, the Hyuuga walked to school with Ino, Sakura, Tenten, and Temari. She was careful not to look at Temari after their awkward conversation the night before.

Temari didn't even seem to remember it, so Hinata decided not to bring it up at all. Being accused of being her young brother's love interest wasn't something Hinata wanted to talk about anyway.

Luckily, Ino chatted away happily about whatever it was she had been talking about; Hinata hadn't paid much attention. Her mind was still on the quiet redhead whom Temari was convinced was in love with her. There would be only one way to find out, and that would be to watch him closely and see how he acted around her.

School that day was normal, just like it had been the past two days, and Hinata didn't notice any strange activity from any of her friends, much less Gaara. It appeared that Temari might have been wrong.

Still, Hinata made sure that she kept a close eye on him, just to be safe. She was sure that she would be able to pick up on some signs of romantic interest if he had any towards her.

He did glance at her sometimes, but only sometimes, and everyone looked at her every now and then. Everyone but Kiba, and Hinata didn't know why he had become distant with her overnight.

~X~

English class. That was when Kiba was deeply immersed in thought about his white eyed house guest. His thoughts had been about her all day, for reasons involving a conversation he had had recently. He couldn't get his mind off of what Shino and Hana had said to him, about being in love with Hinata.

Truth be told, she was special, unlike any other girl he had met. Unless he had left Hikari, he wouldn't have married anyone at all. Not that the other girls weren't nice, they had just never seemed special at all. None of them could have been the one he was meant to spend his life with.

But Hinata, Hinata was different. He couldn't put his finger on it, but he knew there was something about her and he could never keep his mind off her for long.

Suddenly, their teacher, Kurenai Yuhi's voice snapped him out of his thoughts. She was a young and pretty woman and was rumored to be in a relationship with history teacher Asuma Sarutobi. (A/N: I know, I had put it as Izumo, but I had forgotten Asuma, it was a mistake and I'm sorry.)

"Now, this project may not seem English related, but I can assure you that we'll turn it around to make it that way," Ms. Yuhi said. "The fourth grade teacher, Mr. Morino, well lend us his students for this project. Now, there are only five of them, but there is almost enough of you to divide into equal groups for each student. This isn't a project for just one grade, all of you, freshmen, sophomores, and junior are participating.

"We will have three groups of freshmen, one group for sophomore, and Temari, I'm sure you can take on one kid by yourself. Our first group is," Ms. Yuhi paused for dramatic affect, "Kiba Inuzuka, Shino Aburame, and Hinata Hyuuga."

A lot thought that was an unfair grouping. After all, Kiba and Shino were best friends, and Hinata lived with Kiba, so they were all probably good friends. Still, no one verbalized their distaste.

"Our next group is Naruto Uzumaki, Sakura Haruno, and Gaara. Our final freshman group is Ino Yamanaka, Chouji Akimichi, and Shikamaru Nara. Since there are only two of you sophomores, I'm sure Kankuro and Tenten are already aware of their grouping."

Both Ino and Sakura groaned inwardly at the fact that they were separated from their crushes, Hinata sort of sighed to herself, half with disappointment at not being with Naruto, but half with relief because she knew Kiba well and liked Shino. And perhaps for the fact that she was separated from a certain redhead.

Naruto looked disappointed, and Hinata wondered if it was her that he had wanted to be grouped with, but dismissed it. Why would she want any false hope? Kankuro and Tenten exchanged glances that no one could read, which set a lot to wondering.

"Now, I'm sure you're all wondering what your project will be. Each group will be assigned to one of the fourth graders to interview them about their lives, then write a biography about them. Now, you'll interview them in groups, but I want you to each write a separate biography. No copying, I'll be able to pick up on it. You'll meet the fourth grade tomorrow," their teacher continued.

"Why do we have to use little kids in this?" Naruto asked.

"Naruto, you idiot, fourth graders are only five years younger than us. That'll hardly make a difference when we're adults. One of us could end up marrying one of them someday," Sakura scolded. (A/N: What? Foreshadowing the epilogue? Me? No way!)

"Well, that's all the time we have today, I'll see you all tomorrow to begin your projects. Make sure you get a rubric on your way out."

~X~

It was lunchtime and Kankuro and Tenten continually glanced at each other, then nodded.

"Guys, we have something to say," Kankuro said.

"Well, this may come as a shock to all of you, but me and Kankuro are dating now," said Tenten. "Last night, we weren't just hanging out as friends but on a date."

No one seemed shocked though. It wasn't uncommon to see them together, so no one had thought anything of it, but the fact that they were dating wasn't shocking at all. Everyone, even Hinata, could tell that the two liked each other as more than friends and it was only a matter of time before they themselves picked up on it.

"Congratulations to both of you," Temari said with a smile.

"You have to fill us in on ALL of the details," Sakura and Ino both said, leaning closer to Tenten.

~X~

"Alright, I hope you all read over your rubrics and have them with you, since they have the questions you should ask on them," Ms. Yuhi said. "You'll be meeting your fourth grader soon. Kiba's group will be interviewing a kid in the library, Naruto's group will be in the cafeteria, Ino's group will be in here, Tenten's group will be in the fourth grade classroom, and Temari will be in the history classroom. You are dismissed to go to that location."

Kiba, Shino, and Hinata made their way to the small library, where a girl with orange hair in two pony tails that stuck diagonally up and dark eyes, was waiting for them.

"My name is Moegi," she said, smiling at them."

"I'm Kiba and sunglasses over there is Shino. This girl here is Hinata," said Kiba. It was true, Shino was wearing sunglasses even though they were inside.

Shino gave a nod to acknowledge Moegi and Hinata waved sweetly at her before they began their interview.

~X~

Ino, Shikamaru, and Chouji had grouped four desks together in a square just before a brown haired boy with glasses and a runny nose walked into the room.

"My name is Udon," he said before joining them at the desks. They each introduced themselves and then started asking the questions.

~X~

Naruto drug Sakura and Gaara down the hall, despite Sakura's protests and Gaara's inserts of, "We know how walk, Naruto."

The blonde ignored them both and soon burst into the cafeteria, where a girl with blonde hair and hazel eyes sat. She looked up, blushed, then proceeded to introduce herself as Shinzou.

Naruto gave a rushed introduction of them all and started shouting questions at her, until Sakura punched him in the back of the head and did the interview in a more refined manner.

~X~

Kankuro and Tenten chatted with each other as they walked through the hall, on their way to the fourth grade class room. When they reached it, there a boy with brown hair sitting alone.

"Hello, I'm Tenten and he's Kankuro," the girl said, smiling.

"My name's Konohamaru Sarutobi," he replied. "You probably know my uncle, cuz he's a teacher here."

"Yes, we do, and we'll be asking more questions about your family soon, so let's get started."

~X~

Temari stepped into the history classroom and saw a little boy with red hair that reminded her of Gaara and brown eyes. He said his name was Yukinojo, and she told him her name.

~X~

After a week of meeting the kids everyday for their interviews, each student had a large amount of notes and knew their kids well. Everyone worked hard on it and, when the grades came out, even Naruto did a good job on it and everyone had interesting stories to tell.

'That Shinzou was so sweet," Sakura said. "I think she has a crush on Gaara, she was always blushing at him and always wanted to know what he thought."

"I…I really liked Moegi," Hinata said. "I-I think Hanabi would have liked her too…"

"Hanabi's your sister, right?" Ino asked.

"Y…yes."

"Was she mean to you too?"

"N-no…not really. She never bullied me, but she…she never did anything to stop anyone else either. F-fear, I think," Hinata said. She had never really disliked her younger sister.

"Well, either way, it's not like it matters. We don't plan on making you go back to her anytime soon," said Kiba.

"Y-you're all so nice to me. I…I love you all so much…you're like…you're like the family I never had," Hinata said, tears of joy forming in her eyes, though she refused to let them fall.

~X~

Kiba was alone in his room, late at night, thinking as usual. He again couldn't get Hinata out of his head, but tonight was going to be different for him. He was finally beginning to realize that she really was the special girl he had always wanted.

Hinata Hyuuga. She was kind, pretty, and she always tried not to let the pain of her past show. She was definitely special, this Kiba had to realize, as well as his true feelings for her.

He knew exactly what he felt.

**A/N: I know, I know, I should have had Naruto's group in charge of Konohamaru, but I'll tell you, it had to happen that way for reasons revealed in the epilogue. I couldn't stick Gaara with any other group because I wanted the groups to be like the teams in the series, but I wanted to him everyone in their age group, so Gaara was out of place and Sasuke's not around, so it happened that way. GET OFF MY BACK! Next time: Kiba has to finally face facts, Hinata, Naruto, and Ino get their hearts broken, and Kankuro and Tenten are still going strong.**


	7. Heart Break

**A/N: New chapter! Woot woot!**

He knew his feelings for her were nothing short of love.

He, Kiba Inuzuka, was in love with Hinata Hyuuga. With that thought in mind, he fell asleep. He would worry about that the next morning, when he was more awake.

~X~

Hinata was sure that today was going to be a good day. She was starting her second week at Hikari School and she was really enjoying it. She loved Ms. Yuhi, none of her teachers at Konoha Academy had ever been as nice to her or as fun. All of the teachers here made class enjoyable, or at least showed some form of interest in her life.

Plus, she had had fun doing that project and meeting Moegi and it had been a good chance for her to spend more time with Shino. She already lived with Kiba, so time with him wasn't a problem.

Okay, scratch that. He had been acting rather strange around her and avoiding her at all costs. She didn't know what she could have done to make him act this way, but she didn't know how to ask him what the problem was, after all, it might not be any of her business.

Still, she wished Kiba was around her more. He was one of her best friends, she felt a connection to him like no other. In fact, she was sure that she had no better friend than him, not that everyone else wasn't close to her as well, Kiba was just special to her.

Of course, while Kiba was staying away, Gaara was near her a lot, she noticed. While Temari's theory was way out there, she couldn't help but start to believe that it might be true.

However, she had no proof of this, but it was always good to keep an eye out for anything strange.

This became considerably more difficult anytime she was with Naruto, who always managed to catch her interest. She could only define this as a crush, she knew she wasn't fully in love with him, but she was sure that, with the right kind of time with him it could turn into that quickly.

So, she began to plan on telling him exactly how she felt.

~X~

She was sure that that Monday was going to be a great day for her. But, damn, lunch proved her wrong. It was finally her chance to ask Naruto to meet her after school, where she would confess. She was just about to say something to him, but he opened his mouth first.

"Hey, hey, guys, I think Kankuro and Tenten really set a good example, so I'm going to ask out a good friend of mine," the blonde said. Hinata was immediately filled with hope that she was this girl, but those hopes were smashed to pieces.

"Ino, let's go out some time!"

In that instant, Hinata's heart was broken.

"No way, Naruto, why would I ever want to go out with you? In case you haven't noticed, I like Gaara."

In that instant, Naruto's heart was broken.

Ino expected Gaara to return her feelings and for them to be a happy couple after that, but when he spoke, the words, "I feel the same way, Ino," did not come out.

"Ino. I'm sorry, I don't like you like that. There's someone else that's very important to me."

In that instant, Ino's heart was broken.

Gaara sent a look to Hinata, that said everything to her. _I love you. I know you don't feel the same way about me, but it's alright. I only want you to be happy, it's okay if you don't love me._

Gaara's heart wasn't broken and Hinata could almost be happy that that ordeal had turned out okay. But she couldn't, because she wanted Naruto and he wanted Ino. She didn't let the tears fall this time, just like she hadn't let the tears of joy fall the previous Friday. She could cry later, when she was alone.

~X~

"We'll get caught, definitely."

"So? We'll both say we got caught up in the library and that's why we're late."

"You're terrible."

"I know," Kankuro said before placing another kiss on Tenten's lips, which quickly turned into more as he slid his hands everywhere he could and fit his tongue into every part of her mouth that he could.

She really did love him.

~X~

"Hey, how come Kankuro and Tenten aren't here?" Ino wondered aloud. "They're never late."

"Isn't it obvious?" Sakura asked. "They're dating so they must be together right now. Let's just hope they don't get in trouble."

"Now you know just as good as I do that Kakashi's always late, they'll be back before he gets here," Ino said with a shrug. "I mean, I know he also teaches in the middle school, but, like here, he only has one hour where everyone's together and he teaches individual lessons. Plus, it's in the morning. He doesn't have to keep us waiting ALL DAY LONG."

Normally Naruto would shout his agreement along with Sakura, but he was afraid to say anything to Ino. He hadn't expected her to reject him so quickly, but he should have known. Just like Sakura had always rejected him in middle school. Maybe he wasn't meant to have a girlfriend.

As predicted, Kankuro and Tenten arrived before their math teacher showed up. No one ever bothered with any Mr. Hatake around him, he always was and always would be Kakashi to them.

Hinata knew she should have been paying attention if she wanted to do good in this class, but integers and variables were far from her mind as she gazed longingly at Naruto, who was slumped down in his seat, disappointment painted all over his features.

Her eyes jerked over to Kiba, who also seemed to be deep in thought over something.

When their eyes met, her heart almost stopped beating. She didn't want to believe that she hadn't felt anything for Naruto and that it had been wishful thinking all this time, to try and avoid the truth, but she knew that she was in love with somebody else.

~X~

It was very late. That was the only thought that registered in Hinata's mind, but it was shoved out. She had woken up and felt something pulling her outside, so she soon stood in the Inuzukas' backyard, wind whipping through her indigo hair.

She knew he was there before he came to stand beside her.

"Sure is nice tonight," Kiba said.

"Y-yes, it is."

"Hinata…something's been bugging me…I mean, it's sudden, but there's something I really need to tell you…"

**A/N: I hope he says what I think he's going to say. **

**Sunako: He better!**

**Me: Why, Sunako, what are you doing here?**

**Sunako: Making your Author Notes more interesting! I've got your other characters in on it too!**

**Next time: Ino makes a choice, Kiba comes clean, and everyone is taken by surprise, especially Hinata, at the appearance of a very unexpected visitor.**


	8. Confession

**A/N: And we're back, with chapter seven!**

**Sunako: Woop de doo.**

**Me: Ah, shut up, and I might give you a part in the end.**

"Hinata, I-"

"Kiba, Hinata, what are you two doing outside at this hour?" Hana's voice cut through the peaceful night. "You're lucky I saw you before mom did, she wouldn't be too happy."

"We…we couldn't sleep," Kiba said lamely.

"Well, whatever, you two should get inside."

~X~

Hinata was finding it hard to keep her eyes open in class the next day. She hadn't been able to get to back to sleep with the curiosity about what Kiba was going to tell her in her mind.

It had sounded an awful lot like…_a love confession_? No, that was ridiculous, it had to be something else. But still…

No, that couldn't have been it.

~X~

Ino groaned as she looked at the clock. Lunch was way too close for her liking, considering what she was wanting to do. She had thought a lot about it and knew that her choice was the best one she could make, but still, how would it look to the others?

He would just be excited, but her other friends, well, they might think she was rebounding with the one person who actually liked her. Heck, it even looked like rebounding to her, but she had really thought about this and it had become quite clear that Naruto had always been there for her and Naruto would be the best choice for her.

It was hard for her to believe at first, that she was actually going to go after _him_. She had never even considered Naruto, he wasn't her type, she was sure of that, but all that time could she have really loved him when she told herself she didn't?

Yes, she knew that she loved him. Trying to deny it all her life, trying to convince herself that she loved Gaara, but Ino knew that she really did love Naruto and she was going to tell him.

~X~

The whole group was there, save for Kankuro, Tenten, Naruto, and Ino. They were use to the couple of the week being late, but no one knew why Naruto and Ino weren't there yet.

"After what happened yesterday, I'm surprised Naruto's even getting near Ino," Temari said.

"Well, they might not even be together right now," Sakura said, shrugging. "I know that Naruto's failing a class and Ino…okay, I can't think of any reason for her to be late, but whatever."

"Nah, they're definitely together right now," Kiba said. "Didn't you see Ino grab Naruto on our way out of class?"

"Well, well, Kiba, didn't know you were the gossip king this week," Chouji said. "I was too distracted because it was lunch to try and pick out interesting conversation topics."

"What else is new?" asked Shikamaru. "Either way, what does it matter if their together or not? Maybe Ino just wants to patch things up, but no matter what, it's no big deal."

"You wouldn't get it," Temari said.

~X~

"Ino, what did you want?" the blonde boy asked.

"I wanted to say that I'm sorry for how I acted yesterday," Ino said. "And also…I'd like to consider it."

"Consider what?"

"What do you think, idiot? I want to try dating you!"

"Re-really?" Naruto asked. "You're not just trying to trick me, are you? Because it's not funny."

"I'm not trying to trick you, Naruto. I really do think that…I might actually…like you."

Naruto didn't say anything in response, he just grabbed Ino's shoulders and pulled her into a kiss.

Ino didn't resist but kissed him back. Neither knew how long they had been there until someone's voice broke them apart.

"Aha! I knew something was up!" It was Sakura. Funny how she didn't seem to remember that she was the one who tried to convince everyone that they weren't together.

~X~

The newest couple finally joined the others at the lunch table and told everyone about how they were dating. No one seemed to oppose it and Hinata wasn't upset about it at all.

The day passed happily and everyone was in a good mood. No one would have predicted what would happen later that day.

Everyone was walking out of the school together. Ino said something funny and Hinata was laughing until she noticed the girl standing in front of her, then she froze up and stared.

"H…Hanabi." The girl standing in front of her looked about nine years old and had long black hair and white eyes.

"It's been a long time, big sister," Hanabi Hyuuga said, as everyone stared at her.

"Wh-what…what are you…what are you d-doing here?"

Kiba put his arm out in front of Hinata, as a sign of protection and everyone tensed.

"Father and Neji sent me. They told me to look for you here and, if I found you, to bring you back."

"N-no…no…"

"What the hell? We'd never give Hinata back to you! This is her home now, where people actually care about her!" Kiba said. "I'd never want ANYONE to try and take her away from me!"

"I'm not going to say anything," Hanabi said. By now, some younger students had tried to exit the school building, but it was blocked by the high schoolers in the door way.

The fourth graders, all standing in a clump, were the most interested in this girl their age that looked like Hinata.

"Hey, Udon, you're blushing," Konohamaru teased.

"No…no, I'm…I'm not…"

"Aw, how sweet," Moegi said and Shinzou giggled.

"I'm not saying anything to father or Neji or anyone else about seeing you here. I'll just tell them that I searched everywhere but no one had even heard of you," the young girl said. "I don't want to ever see you hurt, Hinata. I don't know why you ran, but I'm glad you did. This is a nice place…maybe I'll run here some day."

The two Hyuugas hugged each other good bye before Hanabi left, leaving everyone else very confused.

~X~

It was late again. Hinata knew that again as she wandered outside, where Kiba stood. She somehow knew that she was going outside to meet him, even though nothing had been spoken between them about any late night meeting.

"I-it's a nice night," Hinata said.

"Yeah," Kiba agreed. "Listen, Hinata, I was so scared that I was going to lose you today, especially after Hana interrupted us last night and I couldn't tell you."

"Tell me…tell me what?"

"Hinata, since we first met, I knew you were special. I've always really liked you, but now I know there's something more." Kiba took in a deep breath. "Hinata, what I'm trying to say is…I love you."

"K-Kiba…I…I know that I…love you too…I love you, Kiba," she replied, moving closer to him.

Kiba leaned in and placed his lips gently on hers.

~X~

Hana Inuzuka had heard the two go outside. It had woken her up, just like the previous night. And, just like the previous night, she had planned to go tell them to get back inside. But tonight was different, she knew they were having a very serious conversation.

As she watched them kiss, she smiled to herself and went back to bed. Hana didn't interrupt them that night.

**A/N: Finally! Kiba told her!**

**Sunako: WHY'D YOU MAKE THEM GET INTERRUPTED THE FIRST TIME?!?!**

**Me: Because I'm evil!**

**Next time: Kiba and Hinata are happy together, Naruto and Ino are happy together, Kankuro and Tenten are happy together, but can Shino really pull of a love confession to Sakura? And has Hinata finally remembered?**


	9. Old Flames and Guilt

**A/N: Wow, I'm at chapter eight already!**

**Sunako: Yay for you!**

**Me: I WILL finish this! By the way, today's my birthday! Happy birthday to me!**

When Kiba and Hinata walked into school the next day holding hands, it explained everything to their friends. They smiled at them in silent congratulations as a new couple was born.

"I'm happy for them, I always knew there was something between them," Sakura said.

"Yeah, but I figured you'd be sulking about being single," said Ino. Sakura flinched; her best friend was right on target about how she felt.

"No, no, of course not, that's ridiculous," Sakura said, laughing nervously, "I mean, I don't even really need anyone to make me happy."

Ino sighed, her best friend was so predictable and _such_ a bad liar.

~X~

Hinata frowned at her desk, then glanced over to where Kiba sat. She loved him, she sincerely did and was happy that he felt the same, but one thought still nagged at her mind.

Just like when she had liked Naruto, she had to wonder, what about Itachi, how would he feel about this? It almost made her feel guilty, no, it _did_ make her feel guilty.

She really wanted to let herself be happy with Kiba because she loved him so much, but she still cared about Itachi and his feelings. She didn't love him anymore, that had been a long time ago and now she was over him, but she still cared about him and wouldn't want to hurt him in any way. She never wanted to hurt anyone, especially not someone who had been so close to her.

Hinata sighed. There was no way for her to even tell him while he was away at boarding school. And, even when he came back, he would go back to Konoha. With any luck, no one but Hanabi would ever know that she was here. And that was only if Hanabi really did keep her mouth shut about Hinata's location.

~X~

"Hinata, is something bothering you?" Temari asked.

"N-no…nothing's bothering me."

"Well, you seem really out of it, but not in the happy daydream way," Ino said. "Are you upset about something? I mean, I thought you'd be really happy. I always thought you and Kiba made a really cute couple, ever since he first introduced you to us."

"I…I am happy…I just…feel bad about Itachi," Hinata replied and told them of her fears.

"Oh, Hinata, I'm sure he just wants you to be happy and, besides, he's probably over you by now anyway. Didn't you say he was a little older than you?" Temari asked.

"Well…yeah…he was…I…I think he graduates this year. O-of course, Akatsuki Boarding School goes on for a year longer than regular high school."

"Well, see," Temari said, "he's about five years older than you. Maybe that's why Neji's sexual harassment story was so believable, but I think a boy loving a girl even if she is younger is sweet."

"Wouldn't he be Hana's age, then?" Ino asked.

"Around that, yes," Hinata said. "So…you guys think it's…it's alright for me to be with Kiba?"

"Of course it is. Whatever makes you happy is what you have to do, Hinata," said Temari, smiling at the girl.

Hinata was satisfied and headed home, because it was after school and they had been outside, hanging around.

"Still, it couldn't hurt to…"

"You're right, Temari," Ino said. "Let's go."

~X~

Meanwhile, in the empty English classroom, two other students were hanging around.

"Shino, what was it you wanted?" the pinkette asked.

"…Sakura, earlier, you said you were okay with being single and you didn't need anyone to make you happy. I was wondering if someone could make you happy. Sakura, I've been wanting to tell you something for a while now."

"There is someone who can make me happy," Sakura said, blushing. "I really like him and I think you know who he is."

"Sakura, are you trying to tell me that you…"

"Yes, Shino, I do really like you, I love you, even."

"Sakura…I love you, I have for a while," Shino said, leaning down slightly to kiss her.

~X~

Hinata still felt guilty, but she didn't want her friends to know that she was still hung up on that, she especially didn't want Kiba to know.

He smiled at her from across the table over dinner, then sent her a questioning look, to which she nodded.

"Hey, mom, me and Hinata…well…"

"K-k-k-Kiba and I…last night…we…we…we…"

"I…I love Hinata and I told her last night."

"And….and…I feel the same way so…we…"

"We're…dating now."

"Finally!" Hana said, though it sounded kind of fake. "I was hoping that you two would realize that you're absolutely perfect for each other!"

She winked at her younger brother and he realized, in horror, that she had seen them the night before.

~X~

Ino typed away at the computer in the library, Temari sometimes leaning over to make corrections to what they were writing. Soon they had it printed out and sealed it in an envelope.

They checked to make sure the address was correct, added a stamp, and put it in a mail box. Now they needed to wait a few days before anything interesting would happen with it.

"I hope this clears the air of any uncertainties," Temari said.

"Yeah, me too. By the way, have you seen Sakura?"

"Nope. Oh wait…don't look now, but she's holding hands with Shino," the older girl said.

"What?" the younger girl asked and, of course, turned to see that what Temari said was true. "Yay for Sakura! Now she's happy too. You'd better hurry and snag Shikamaru, you're the only girl left."

"Look, Ino, I've already got him wrapped around my finger, it'll be no time at all before he's mine."

"Uh huh. Suuure."

~X~

Four days later, Temari found just what they had been waiting for in the mailbox. The other girls, save for Hinata, knew about this now, and they all excitedly crowded around her."I'm not opening it, we're going to have to let Hinata, it's hers."

"That's right, we shouldn't open it."

"Sh-shouldn't open what?" Hinata asked, coming up behind them.

"Perfect timing, Hinata," Tenten said with a grin.

"We have a surprise for you," Sakura added.

**A/N: Sunako: Surprise? I wonder what kind of surprise it is…**

**Me: I dunno…**

**Sunako: !!!!!!YOU'RE THE WRITER!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!**

**Me: I was KIDDING. But…if you want to know, you have to review this story. Yes, that's right, I need two reviews before I update. Yeah, only two, I'm not high maintenance, I just want as many reviews as I have chapters.**

**Next time: Hinata may have felt guilty about dating Kiba, but a surprise letter gets rid of all traces of guilt. With all the other girls in some sort of relationship, will Temari finally get the younger guy that she wants? And Hinata gets another step closer to remembering, then, out of the blue, the one thing that she needed appears.**


	10. Letter From a Past Love

**A/N: Today the plot thickens.**

**Sunako: It has to, it's the second to last chapter.**

**Me: yeah, but there's an epilogue with an ending after the ending.**

"A surprise? What is it?" Hinata asked.

"Here," Temari said and handed her the envelope.

Hinata opened the letter and gasped. Without ever looking at the signature, she recognized the handwriting right away.

"Itachi," she whispered and read the letter.

_Dear Hinata,_

_Your friends contacted me and told me everything that's happened to you since I've been gone. I never liked your cousin, especially for separating us. Now that you're away from him, I think that's good._

_I've also heard about Kiba and I want you to know that it's okay for you two to be together. I can't have you waiting for me forever. Maybe no one will try to come between you and Kiba. He sounds very nice._

_I actually don't mind Akatsuki Boarding School much at all, though I graduate very, very soon. Maybe I'll come visit you before I head back to Konoha. Maybe I won't go back at all. I've got some friends here, Kisame, Deidara, Sasori, Hidan, and Kakuzu, who know all about you, my only friend back in Konoha. The headmaster, Pein, seems to really like me. He's getting married to a woman named Konan soon._

_As for my love life, I haven't met anyone else yet, but don't let that bother you. You're with Kiba now and we can peacefully end this. I'm sure you feel like a weight was lifted off your life with Kiba when you read that it's over between us. I did love you and you'll always have a special place in my heart, but we also need to move on and find our real love._

_-Itachi Uchiha_

_So he's graduating soon,_ Hinata thought. _I hope he does visit, it'd be nice to see him again._

"You guys…why did you _do_ this?"

"Because we care about you and wanted you and Kiba to be happy together. You couldn't be happy if you were afraid of hurting Itachi," Ino said with a smile.

"So me and Ino decided to go research in the library and write him a letter, while Tenten was making out with Kankuro and Sakura was getting lovey dovey with Shino in a classroom," Temari said.

Sakura blushed but didn't bother denying it. News travels fast in a small town and even the little kids knew who dated whom.

"Thank you," Hinata said. "Thank you so much for this. You're the best friends ever!"

~X~

"So, are you sure she wasn't there?" a fifteen year old boy with chocolate brown hair and white eyes asked.

"Positive," Hyuuga Hanabi replied.

"What do you think?" he asked his friend with black eyes and black hair.

"It seems to me that she's _lying_," this boy of fourteen replied.

"What? No, I swear I'm telling the truth!" Hanabi shouted. "I swear, I checked the town from top to bottom and no one had even seen or heard of her!"

Suddenly, a cold hand met her face with a loud smack and she hit the ground.

"Liar! I'll deal with you later, we have things to do now. We're going to Hikari to pay Hinata a little visit. You coming, Sasuke?"

"Sounds like a good idea to me…Neji."

~X~

Usually on weekends the group would hang out at the store like boring people, but now that they were mostly in pairs, it was just Temari, Gaara, Chouji, and Shikamaru.

Temari glanced at the three boys and sighed again. The thoughts of her very best friends on happy dates didn't make the day any more enjoyable for the blonde.

"Ugh, I can't take it anymore!" Temari shouted. She then grabbed a confused Shikamaru by the shoulders and shoved her mouth against his in a rough kiss.

"Well, Gaara," Chouji said, "looks like it's just you and me."

~X~

Hinata couldn't explain it, but she had a really eerie feeling as she ate lunch with Kiba.

"Hinata, are you alright?" he asked.

"I…yeah. I just got a really, really weird feeling and I-I don't know why but I think it…it has something to do with Neji and why Im here. I…I think I'm getting closer to remembering."

"Really? Oh, I hope you figure out why you're here soon," said Kiba. "So, you think it's something to do with Neji?"

"I'm pretty sure," replied Hinata.

"Well, whatever happened, it can't be that bad and I'm grateful for it, you know why? It brought us together, Hinata." Kiba grabbed her hands and kissed her. "I've said this before, and it's still true, I love you."

"Oh, Kiba, I love you too. Running…it was the best ting that I ever did and I'm glad it was you who found me.

And Hinata's creepy feeling with soon forgotten, which was unfortunate, because she might have wondered enough to figure out that her creepy feeling was a premonition.

A premonition of something horrible, because, when she and her friends were walking together on Sunday, there, at the edge of the forest near Hikari, she saw Neji and remembered.

**A/N: Sunako: Why is this chapter so short?**

**Me: Why is it so short, you ask? Well, I didn't have much planned for this, plus I wanted to finish Remembering before I went on vacation and I have plenty of inspiration for the last chapter and no time to try and come up with inspiration with this one. Sorry, fans, but next time it'll be better.**

**Sunako: I can't wait to see how it ends!**

**Next time: Hinata finally remembers, but there's hardly any time to explain with Neji after her. Will tragedy strike, or will Kiba and Hinata live happily ever after?**


	11. Before His Very Eyes

**A/N: Last chapter, besides the epilogue, woo hoo!**

**Sunako: Finally, we find out what happened to Hinata!**

"Hinata, what is it?" Kiba asked, noticing that she had gone pale.

"K-Kiba, that's…that's Neji, over there and…and he's got Sasuke with him," she said, turning.

"Oh, crap, let's go, we can't let him see you," he said, grabbing her hand as they took off running.

"Kiba…I…I remember.""Wh…what?"

"I remember why I was running," said Hinata. By now, there friends had followed them."Well, why, you've gotta tell us!" Naruto said.

"First, we need to hide somewhere," said Sakura. "In the school, maybe, how about the most in the middle classroom."

"Well, the English room seems to be a rather popular spot," Temari said, and the group took off towards the school.

"Alright," Hinata said, when they were in the English room. "I'm going to tell you…exactly what happened."

And she began to tell them exactly what she remembered.

_It was just an average morning, or at least, that's what it seemed like to Hinata. But after breakfast, when she stood outside their large house, she heard Neji's voice._

"_I hear Itachi's graduating and coming back. But don't think that means you're going to be saved or anything. I haven't gotten to really enjoy my life with you Hinata. No one else can have you but me, so how about you let me have you now?"_

_Hinata knew exactly what he was implying and shook her head. "N-no…no…father wouldn't ever let you…he'd stop you…o-or you'd get in trouble or…"_

"_Oh, shut up," Neji said, slapping her. "You're not going to keep your mouth shut, so maybe I'll just have to kill you, destroy your body, and dump the remains in the forest after I'm done with you."_

"_N-no…no…" she whispered as he neared her._

"_NO!" she shouted and ran off, towards the forest. Soon, she was running, as fast as she could. She had never been too fast, but she knew that she had to keep on, and felt the speed she needed come to her as she burst forward, scared to death, and then…_

Everything that happened after that was perfectly familiar to Hinata, so she knew that was where she had lost her memory, scared out of her wits, in the forest.

"So…the event was so traumatizing, you must have blacked it out," said Shino.

"That bastard, he'll pay for ever touching my Hinata," Kiba said, growling much like Akamaru would.

"We need to tell your mom, she's a police officer," Ino said. "I'll go get her, Neji doesn't know _me_."

"I'll go with you, Ino," Naruto said, joining his girlfriend.

"Yeah, but Naruto, shouldn't you go get your mom and dad?" Chouji asked. "I'm going to get my dad, you should get your parents, since we have police as parents too."

"Alright," Shikamaru said, "we need to think this through. No one needs to be alone, so Kiba, Shino, and Sakura can stay here with Hinata. I'll go with Chouji, Naruto can go get his parents with Temari. Ino, you still go to Tsume, Gaara will accompany you. Kankuro, Tenten, you guys need to go tell Tsunade, or at least get her here."

Everyone nodded and immediately got to it.

~X~

"Tsume! Tsume!" Ino shouted when she flung open Kiba's door. Instead of Tsume, Hana came to the door.

"What is it?" she asked.

"Hinata's cousin Neji," Gaara said. "He's the reason she was running and he's here."

"Hinata's cousin? She never mentioned him to me," Hana said.

"Well, he's dangerous and we need your mom to come with us!" the blonde girl said.

"She's not home, she's over talking to Minato and Kushina," said Hana.

"Alright, well, Naruto's taking care of that, come with us," Ino said and drug Hana with her.

~X~

In time, they had the adults they needed grouped in the room and Hinata told her story again.

"There's only one thing we can do, and that's get Neji away from her, being punished like he needs to be," said Tsunade.

"It's going to be harder than that," a cold voice said, and, there, at the door, stood Neji and Sasuke. All the people running around had attracted the attention of the two, and directed it straight toward the school building, then the classroom.

Suddenly, a scream was heard as Hanabi burst down the hallway. "Hinata, I'm sorry! I told them you weren't here, but no one would believe me! I'm so sorry!"

Of course everyone going here had also attracted the attention of the other townspeople, who were soon standing behind Hanabi, watching in confusion.

"Hanabi, I told you that I would deal with you later," Neji said harshly. "Sasuke, take care of her."

"Hn, alright," he replied and walked towards the clump of people. Hanabi, terrified, flung herself at the nearest person, which happened to be Udon, who held her close.

The other people sort of moved in front of her, blocking Sasuke, who just walked back over to Neji.

"Alright, Hinata, I guess it's time I take you back home," said Neji, almost like a caring older brother.

"No one's taking Hinata anywhere," was what Kiba wanted to say, but someone else beat him to it as the crowd of townspeople split, revealing a tall male who greatly resembled Sasuke, with the same black hair and black eyes.

"Itachi," Sasuke and Hinata both said at the same time.

"Well, you shouldn't be surprised Sasuke. I did graduate yesterday, and I thought it would be nice to see Hinata. I didn't expect to see you this quickly though."

"What is this, blast from the past?" Naruto asked. "First you cousin and his friend, then your sister, now your old boyfriend!"

But Hinata wasn't there anymore, nor was Kiba, Tsume, Hana, Shino, or Sakura. Itachi had distracted everyone long enough for six to escape through the classroom's second door.

"Let's go after her," Neji said, but Naruto and Kankuro both grabbed each of him arms.

"Not so fast," Kankuro said.

"Temari, we need to block that door!" Tenten shouted.

"Right, let's go," she replied.

Sasuke tried to reach the door before them, but Itachi, Gaara, and Shikamaru grabbed him.

"Dad, do you think you should send everyone home?" Chouji asked. "I think these guys really are dangerous, maybe we should put everyone out of danger."

"Good idea," Chouza said. "And, Kushina, you should take Hanabi home with you, make sure she's safe. Minato can take care of things here, I'll make sure everyone gets home safely."

"We're not going anywhere," Ino said, going over to join Temari and Tenten. "We're all friends of Hinata's and we need to protect her. It's our job as her friends to keep her safe."

Gaara, Naruto, Kankuro, Shikamaru, Chouji, Temari, and Itachi all nodded, just as Neji broke free and lunged for the door. However, Ino reeled back her fist and punched him square in the nose. Being friends with Sakura all those years had taught her well.

Temari went to join Naruto and Kankuro as they tried to restrain him again, then Minato helped them.

"We'll go after Hinata," Ino said, and she and Tenten left, followed closely by Tsunade.

~X~

Kushina had tried to get Udon to go home, but Hanabi was still so scared that she hadn't let go of him and refused to leave her side.

~X~

The group of six was soon joined by three others and they continued running.

"We need to get her far away from here," Tsume said.

"Yeah, good idea, but there's only a cliff the way you're going!" Tsunade shouted after her."But it's far away, Neji won't get to her until the other police can take care of him and his friend!"

Tsume was wrong, because Hinata suddenly spotted the two in the corner of her eye. She let out a shriek.

"I'm sorry, Hinata, we couldn't hold on to them!" Gaara called, as the group from back at the school was running behind Neji and Sasuke.

"Kiba, you take Hinata, run faster, we'll hold them off," Tsume said..

"Alright, mom," he said, taking Hinata's hand and running with her, as hard and fast as he could. "No matter what happens, Hinata, I'll protect you, I love you."

"Kiba, please, don't let Neji get me…I…I love you too and I always will," the young woman said.

"Hinata, we still couldn't stop him!" Naruto's voice reached her ears and she suddenly heard Neji's pounding footsteps behind her. Kiba suddenly picked her up bridal style and began running faster, until they had gained an advantage and put her down to run on her own again.

Of course, Neji caught up, but the couple was determined to escape him. Hinata, not knowing the geography of the land around her, didn't know about the huge cliff.

She stopped at the edge, with Kiba yelling out to her.

"What's wrong, Hinata?" Neji asked. "Aren't you going to keep running from me?"

Hinata opened her mouth to answer, but suddenly, after all the running, her legs finally gave out. She was falling.

"K-Kiba!" she screamed as she began to plummet. The last thing she could be heard screaming was, "Kiba, I love you!"

Kiba ran to edge, but she was too far down now. "I LOVE YOU, HINATA! NO MATTER WHAT, IT'LL ALWAYS BE YOU THAT I LOVE!" he shouted at the top of his lungs, hoping that she could hear him.

It was long before she slipped out of view, and the mysterious girl who had just appeared recently disappeared before his very eyes.

**A/N: Sunako: N-no…**

**Me: I always had this ending planned from the beginning.**

**Sunako: I hate you.**

**Next time: The epilogue of course! How do they all cope without Hinata? Do they have to?**


	12. Epilogue

**A/N: The epilogue already? I really did see this through to the end. I had wanted the ending to be depressing and able to stand on its own, but the epilogue to make the ending happy, but not be required for one to have finished the story. Anyway, here we go.**

Thirty year old Kiba Inuzuka had a smile on his face as he watched his best friend and the beautiful pinkette link their lives together in marriage, but he wasn't as happy on the inside. Oh sure, he was very happy that Shino and Sakura were married, but one thought still nagged at him.

Naruto and Ino were married, as were Shikamaru and Temari, Kankuro and Tenten, and Gaara had ended up marrying Shinzou, once the two had aged the age difference became less and less of a problem.

A lot of their teachers had married, Asuma and Kurenai, Kakashi and Anko. Two sisters, Sunako and Bara, had come looking for a new life and brought with them their cousin Shintei. Sunako had married Gai, Bara had married Ebisu, and it wasn't long before Shintei and Chouji fell in love, though he had yet to propose.

Hanabi had moved there and was currently dating Udon, whilst Konohamaru dated Moegi. Itachi had decided to stay for a while, and he and Hana ended up falling in love and getting married. When they moved away, she was finally able to pursue her dream of becoming a vet.

Everyone was happily in love, everyone except for Kiba, who could never let go of Hinata's memory. He hated Neji for sending her to her death. Neji had been sent to all sorts of things for bad teenagers, but Kiba always felt it wasn't enough and the cruel cousin of his love had deserved nothing short of death.

It was probably harder because this had been the day, many years ago, that she had left this world. Shino and Sakura hadn't wanted to get married on this day, but it was the only day convenient for everyone else.

No one had been able to find Hinata's body, but they were all sure that the shy beauty had died from that fall and he would never see her again. Being with another girl wasn't an option because he was only in love with white eyed, indigo haired Hyuuga Hinata.

~X~

About an hour away, in a city called Iwa, a thirty year old woman named Neko silently ate her lunch, while thirty five year old Tsutomu and her thirty three year old sister Kuma flipped through the newspaper.

"Hey, check this out," Kuma said, pointing to an article. "It says that, today, 16 years ago, the story of a girl named Hinata Hyuuga came to a tragic end at the bottom of a cliff."

"Hey, isn't today the same day we found Neko?" Tsutomu asked.

"Yeah, weird coincidence, huh?" her sister replied.

Yes, on that very day, sixteen years ago, the sisters had been fishing at a small lake when a body splashed in from above. She was rendered unconscious from the event and horribly injured, but the doctors could save her life at one cost: she completely lost her memory.

"C-can I see?" Neko asked.

"Sure," the older woman said, handing her the newspaper.

With one glance at the article, retelling the story, memories flooded back, everything, from childhood to that day when she fell off the cliff. Her name was not Neko, it was Hinata Hyuuga and she was in love with Kiba Inuzuka, the only one she wanted to be with at that moment.

No, she wanted to see them all, Ino, Sakura, Tenten, Temari, Kankuro, Gaara, Shikamaru, Chouji, Naruto, Shino, Tsume, Hana, but none as much as Kiba.

~X~

The next day, Kiba opened his eyes to one of Akamaru's mate's seven puppies, now all grown up, named Hina, licking his face. Akamaru had passed away, but Kiba still kept all of the pups and raised them, finding comfort in the fact that his best friend was in a better place now.

He hoped today would be easier because the day of Hinata's death had passed, but the pain still lingered, like it had for sixteen long years without her.

He headed out to his job, now working on the police force, not expecting what would happen that day.

He thought the girl standing before him was an illusion. There was no way it was her, she was dead now. The resemblance to her was uncanny, but this couldn't be her.

"K-Kiba? Kiba, is it you?"

Her voice, so soft, like it had always been. But how could this be real? She was dead, she had been for a long time, hadn't she? But now Kiba didn't care. She was standing in front of him, who cared if she was supposed to be dead?

He wrapped his arms tightly around the girl and said, "Why'd you have to die, Hinata? Why'd you leave me? I needed you."

"But I didn't die, Kiba. I'm alive. Can't you…can't you feel my heartbeat? I…I am alive," Hinata said.

He reached out, with shaking hands, to take her pulse, like he had done when he first found her, so many years ago. Sure enough, she did have a pulse, she was alive, his Hinata was alive.

"Then, why, Hinata? Why didn't you ever come back for me?" he asked. "Didn't you still love me?""Oh, Kiba, I wish I could have, but when I fell off the cliff, I landed in a lake. People found me and brought me to a hospital. I lived, but I was horribly wounded and suffered head trauma. I couldn't remember who I was and went by the name Neko for so long. But yesterday, when I looked in the newspaper, I saw the article telling my story, and I knew that this girl was, without a doubt, me."

It was the longest thing he had ever heard her say without a stutter or an uncertain pause. She had changed a bit, but she was still Hinata Hyuuga and he still loved her.

She remembered now, she remembered everything, and she and Kiba were ready to make even more great memories together.

**A/N: *sobs* IT'S OVER! NOOOOOOOOOOO! Th-that was so BEAUTIFUL! *tears streaming down face***

**Sunako: Geez, Hannah, it wasn't that great.**

**Me: HEY! I INCLUDED YOU IN THE STORY AND EVERYTHING!**

**Sunako: Yeah, in one paragraph.**

**Me: Well, anyway, it's over. I hope you all enjoyed it! Make sure you review and, if you want a short sequel, you should vote in the poll on my profile! Or Sunako'll get you.**

**Sunako: Huh?**


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